Tips For Banishing Cellulite

Every summer the dreaded C word rears its ugly head. Yep, C for Cellulite. It’s not that big a deal and no matter what your shape, chances are you have some, but some (including yours truly) are extremely self-conscious about it. Especially when it’s time for the summer hols you’ve been planning all year and you have to wear your favourite bikini/tasteful swimsuit. There are some women who may not give a hoot about cellulite (please pass some of your brill self-confidence this way stat), but for those that are more bothered by it, the good news is, that it is a treatable thing and can be disguised if you’re a little clever about it. We’ve put together a few things you can do to keep it at bay. There is no magical cure for it vanishing altogether sadly, but a few changes can vastly improve it at least.

First of all, what is Cellulite?

The lumpy, bumpy skin that is cellulite is caused when fat presses up against the vertical connective tissue that surrounds fat cells in our thighs and bum, for example. This creates a bulging of the cells, resulting in the dimpled effect that you’ll notice. The bad news? It’s genetic, so if your mam (lads rarely get it) has it, chances are you won’t be immune to a bout of it as well (cheers ma!), but again, it’s treatable so don’t panic just yet. Cellulite can appear at practically any time and can get worse with age as the tissue in our bodies change. The skin thins, which can make the cellulite more noticeable.

What Can You Do To Keep It At Bay?

?Alter Your Diet

?If you’re eating too many fatty foods, this can cause the cellulite to multiply (take it from someone who has a very sweet tooth and knows this to be true). Now we’re not saying you have to avoid the things you like to eat altogether, you have to enjoy life and live a little after all, but eating plenty of fiber and wholegrain foods for example, are good at keeping the signs of cellulite at bay. These foods help remove waste and toxins from the intestinal tract.

?Exercise

?Boosting circulation helps lessen lumps, so exercising is hugely important to tone and firm your skin and keep your blood flowing. And since cellulite is basically fat, obviously excess weight can contribute to it. So in order to banish those bumps, engaging in physical exercise like walking, jogging, swimming, yoga, or whichever activity you prefer will help the whole process.

Drink Plenty Of Water?

It’s the age-old phrase, but we really can’t stress this one enough. Drinking plenty of water flushes all the toxins from your body, and all the bad stuff that can ultimately coagulate in the body and make the cellulite worse, so’drink as much as you can. Even if you’re not targeting cellulite, drinking water is important for your health in general.?

Use A Dry Buffing Brush

And exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate. An exfoliator with Caffeine is also an excellent remedy for cellulite. Creams and gels will penetrate the skin on your behind and thighs more deeply if you get rid of all the dead skin cells first, and again, this gets the blood flowing to the cellulite affected areas. Sweep and buff a natural-bristle brush (Boots and The Body Shop have ideal brushes for this) over cellulite-prone areas before you hop into the shower. Keep your skin and the brush completely dry while you’re doing this and only then apply your cream. Massaging the areas stimulates circulation breaks up fluids beneath your skin.

This writer noticed a stark difference after using a dry brush and cream combination on the Cellulite areas, as opposed to using a cream alone, so though rubbing your backside slightly raw doesn’t sound that appealing, it does really help in the long run.

?Anti-Cellulite Creams Are A Good Idea

?There are so many of these on the market, but in general they do help the lumps and bumps. Our favourites are the Nivia Q10 anti-cellulite serum, oil and cream, and the Nip + Fab Cellulite Cream. Both these ranges are available in Boots and some local pharmacies, and for very reasonable prices too. The concentrated formula in the Nivea Q10 serum in particular is full of L-Carnitine, lotus leaf extract, and Coenzyme Q10, which help reduce the signs of dimpling.

We found after using these for 8 weeks, a marked difference in the cellulite. Nothing happens overnight and you do have to use them every day for at least 3-6 weeks to begin to see a difference, but you will see the results if you apply a cream or serum regularly.

A Tan Can Help Disguise Cellulite

?Since there’s (alas) no cure for cellulite (currently you can just minimise its appearance with products that take time to work), you can always disguise it. If you sport a tan, happy days because your cellulite can be camouflaged with your favourite self-tanning products. It won’t get rid of it altogether of course, but if it boosts your confidence and makes you feel good to have a tan, then all the better.

When all is said and done, the world won’t end just because you have a bit of cellulite (and everyone gets it, believe us) but doing the above will help the case at least, so if it’s bringing you down, try these out before you hit the beach. Remember though, you’re on your summer holidays and cellulite or no cellulite, remember to relax and have fun because you deserve it.